I know this has been asked a million times, and I understand it's going to cost money either way I go at it, but which of these would be the best when it comes to cost savings and daily drivable/reliable setups to go with?
I currently have a 2003 Ford Ranger extend cab Tremor 3.0. I put the bottom end of a 9,000 mile Taurus 3.0 into her about 30,000 miles ago. Only thing I did was have the heads checked and decked and the valve's gone through. So a little bit of the mechanical stuff and how to work on it. The transmission was rebuilt by a local shop at about 25k ago. I'm just really tired of the crappy gas mileage since I do have to drive it as my daily but would like a little bit more power.
Would I be good to go with a NA 2.3 with decent miles and turbo it with just a mild tune that way I can have some decent gas mileage or go with an LS swap? I'm sorry if that offends anyone but I'm not a die-hard Ford fan other than I love my truck for what it is and it's versatility. The LS would give me from what I'm seeing about the same fuel mileage as the four cylinder set up. It just looks like it may cost a lot more when it comes to the parts needed for LS swapping.
Is there anywhere I could find a list of parts needed for each swap so then I can shop around and see which is more cost effective with the deals I can find myself?
I don't know personally if I can use any of the parts in the truck now for the 2.3 swap or not.
Again I know this is probably redundant to all of you because you've done it a lot and seen this a lot, but please be patient with me and a couple of links is all I'm asking for if it's possible.
I've had five back surgeries and it's been rough. I'm going to find trucks since 2005 and I simply just want to keep it and don't have the finances to go trade or do anything like that.
Thank you all so much for the help in advance!
Justin

 

LS or 302 will do worse for gas milage nice you will be always on the go pedal.